Morning journal and courier., 1887-05-02
Evangelist Forest and His Peculiar
 Work in San Francisco.

A REFORMED GAMBLER. | Work in San Francisco. IFrom the San Francisco Chronicle.7
 Evangelist Ned Forests broadcloth coat had not speck of dust upon it, his white four-in- hand scarf was adjusted to a nicety | around his "cut-my-ehin' collar, and his l hair was banged and plastered as accurately as vaseline would stick it, when he began l operations on the souls of his respectable audience at the Central Methodist church | last evening" The reformed short-card | player was the central brilliant in 8 setting | of smart young women who sang more or | less, and five gentlemen of various degrees | of thickness, who formed the male portion | of the choir. The exhorter had the pulpit | moved to one side to leave the platform | free for his exasperated motions. The l audience was composed mainly of the male sex, the fairer half of creation being too l much mystifed by the reformed gamblers | technical slang to appreciate the sallies, l while the men present affected the bald l head by large majority. Forests vernacu- l lar frequently brought down the house, his | allusioIs to full hands" and Straight fushes," ''blgffing," :'straddles," 'antes' joyed and apparently appreciated. A par. services is the absence of ths collection plate. Out of regard for the conventionalities, but evidently for other reason, Forest selected text, 'Saved by Hope," which he announced was to be found In eighth Romans, 24th verse, and paid no further at tention to.
 The services were opened by singing, which 1 he started with the injunction to the lady in 1 frizzes who played the organ to '1et her go!" And she did '1et her go," and the choir ''let her go," and there was some noise there | or thereabouts
 ''Glad to see so many of the boys here to- i night" began the speaker. 1T feel that God | called me unto the work for the boys. When a man of my age has spent fifteen years going l down to hell and has been stopped, he owes 1 debt of gratitude. That's what owe and I want to cash in.
 ''To-night Pm not going to talk to cemeter- l ies. God only knows the secrets of the grave | yards. Scores that lay out in Lone Mountain 1 refused the Lord. When the casaet is screwed down there is no chance for fellow. When | the crepe is hanged before the door you can't l cash your cheeks. Twice in mylife have been 1 at deaths door, once with knife-wound and once with A that left hole in my neck
 can put my finger into"
 The revivalist described how parson in 8
 sermon over drunkard's body promised the 1 wife and mother and daughter to meet him in
 heaven.
 "No, he went to helll" cried the evangelist
 "A gambler don't want to go to heaven. He'd l have no one to play with"
 | The exhorter here fell into lachrymose
 condition during which he dealt in consid- erable sentiment, and related the story of
 his own conversion while dealing faro. He claimed to have been too wicked for descrip-
 tion, too low for the imagination to grasp,
 and took huge satisfaction in the picture of
 depravity which he presented
 mighty thvack, i've found game
 that pays I've found hand that wins | every hour of my life; it's hand no man
 can hold over, no man can bluff me on. It
 is the hand God dealt to me, and I won't
 lay it down until lay it down at the throne
 of God"
 The converted gambler then depieted girl
 initiated into game of cards in home, and
 year later staggering up the street.
 Then, somewhat irrelevantly, he asserted:
 "A gambler has a heart as big as &
 church. God bless and have mercy on the gamblers of San Francisco. The only time I
 ever held sure, good hand that couldn't be
 done up hold now"
 "A friend of mine helped plant in Lead
 vile. There was man who held as big
 roll as any man in Frisco. I found him
 lying dying from consumption. I don't
 want to squeal at the tail end of my life,
 he said. That isn't squealing,' he said. So
 I found parson and set him to work on
 him. We all got on our knees, and while
 we prayed he gasped, God, if there's such I
 ter me-
 "Men say they don't like such thing as a hell. Well, I believe in straight,
 regular, A No. 1 hell. I know feller
 who was an in6del who dropped off boat
 into the river. They got him up and done the barrel act on him and he was fixed, when
 the first thing he says was, Thank God! Thought you didn't believe in God?' said , duck who stood by. That's all right, , said the feller they fshed up. Tnfdelity is I 1, z boat 1@,,Ho pretty poor thing to go down onto the keel with"
 'Now, you fellers, look out, or the devil
 will be playing euchre with you over store
 goods box in hell. That's good enough
 place for some fellows, anyhow. A few
 of cards This Mexican duck I was play ing with thought I had took card.
 was accused of the act. It may have been
 an accident. It might have been theft I was in financial straits. The Mexican thought it was a theft. I will leave it tc you. This fellow didn't say a word. He , just pulled gun and let her go, and went
 down all in a heap. They took ms to {
 hotel. A Sister of Charity came and took . care of me- I was sharper to her. wal a Protestant and 1 never now see one of thos good women without uncovering to them
 She asked me to accept Christ. I would 2 not I was bitter, and wanted to let it il | for this fellow. So when I was we'll l fol !, | lowed this duck down into old Mexico. w ! came together, but, thank God, It was only l wound"
 Speaking of his finances, Forest said
 "To-night if I was called home to Philadel : phia couldn't go. Whys Because haven the money to pay my own and wife's far i | back But would rather live as now, wit | a sure winner for eternal life, to having al , the money I once had. God help you to ! night to get winning hand. It's a squar 1 deal. like to hear man come down ant , say God, I've been bad, miserable, wicked man, and I want help That man mean
 business. When I was gambler wore goot
 clothes and had cluster. didn't walk much | I generally rode in carriage and did tn